Pentoxifylline (1-(5-oxohexyl)-3,7-dimethylxanthine), abbreviated PTX and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,422,107 and 3,737,433, is a xanthine derivative which has seen widespread medical use for increasing blood flow. Metabolites of, PTX were summarized in Davis et al., Applied Environment Microbiol. (1984) 48:327. One such metabolite, 1-(5-hydroxyhexyl)-3,7-dimethylxanthine, designated M1 and disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,515,795 and 4,576,947, increases cerebral blood flow. In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,833,146 and 5,039,666 disclose use of tertiary alcohol analogs of xanthine for enhancing cerebral blood flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,507 discloses that PTX and M1 stimulate chemotaxis in polymorphonuclear leukocytes in response to a chemotaxis stimulator. PTX and related tertiary alcohol substituted xanthines inhibit activity of certain cytokines to affect chemotaxis (U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,271 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,906). Administration of PTX and GM-CSF decrease tumor necrosis factor (TNF) levels in patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplant (Bianco et at., Blood 76: Supplement 1 (522A), 1990). Reduction in bone marrow transplant-related complications accompanied reduction in assayable levels of TNF. However, in normal volunteers, TNF levels were higher among PTX recipients. Therefore, elevated levels of TNF are not the primary cause of such complications.
Therefore, effective therapeutic compounds that are safe and effective for human or animal administration and that can maintain cellular homeostasis in the face of a variety of inflammatory stimuli are needed. The invention is a result of research conducted in looking for such compounds.